| Media Note Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC May 12, 2008 Friends of Lebanon Statement
Following is the text of a statement issued by the Friends of Lebanon following their phone call today to address the ongoing crisis in Lebanon. Begin Text: We, the Foreign Ministers and Representatives of Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States, together with the Secretary General of the Arab League, and the Secretary General of the United Nations, spoke by phone today to address the ongoing crisis in Lebanon. We welcome the Arab League Initiative and its May 11 statement and intention to dispatch a delegation to Lebanon to lead a return to dialogue. We fully support the efforts of the Arab League, Qatari Prime Minister Hamid bin Jassim, Secretary General Amr Moussa, and the delegation of the foreign ministers of Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. We call for the immediate election of a president without prior conditions, the establishment of a national unity government, and the holding of general elections in conformity with an electoral law agreed upon by all parties, in accordance with the Arab League plan. We remain deeply concerned by the situation in Lebanon, which threatens the stability of the country and the region. We are saddened by the loss of life since May 7, and we express our condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Lebanon. We call for the immediate cessation of fighting, the withdrawal of gunmen from the streets, the unblocking of roads, and the reopening of Beirut International Airport. We express our strong support for Lebanese constitutional institutions, in particular the government and Lebanese Armed Forces. We reaffirm our strong support for the sovereignty, political independence, stability, and unity of the Lebanese state. 2008/381 |
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